A Legacy of Service and Generosity
"Director of Miracles" Erwin Milan and His Impact on the Rady School of Management
Alicia and Erwin Milan
Erwin Milan, a beloved figure at the Rady School of Management, is retiring after two decades of dedicated service as director of facilities and operations. To support and recognize the students he so deeply admired, Milan and his wife Alicia have made a generous gift to establish the Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship, ensuring his legacy endures at the Rady School.
Milan joined Rady in 2004, even before the school had a physical building. “We started out in the bungalows with one class, the weekend class,” he recalls. As Rady expanded, so did Milan’s role. His colleagues affectionately called him the “Director of Miracles” and the “Director of First Impressions.”
Milan's role was much larger than just his job title; he was a friend, mentor and confidant to many. “I had a lot of friends on campus because the job required me to interact with just about everybody,” he explained. “The best part of my job was the people. The relationships I fostered, and still have, are beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.”
A favorite memory involved the late Nobel Prize laureate and Rady professor Harry Markowitz, who praised Milan during a 25th anniversary event. “Harry gave me the greatest shout-out of my life. It's probably, with the exception of marrying my wife and the birth of my children, one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Milan’s genuine care for others has left an indelible mark on the Rady community.
The Milan Family Fellowship: Paying It Forward
Milan’s philosophy is simple: “It’s not how much you give, it’s the fact that you gave.” The Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship will provide financial support to future students, enabling them to pursue their educational dreams. The Milans’ gift will have an even greater impact as it will be matched on a 2:1 basis by Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla through the recently announced Chancellor’s Fellowship Challenge .
“Alicia and I started with a small donation of $250, and over the years it became something we chose to continue and grow,” said Milan. “As I was around the students, I listened to them tell me how important education was for them. Some needed money to attend the program, and I was already making an impact by being there every day. So, I kept thinking, ‘How can I help more?’”
The Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship is about more than financial support; it’s about fostering community. Recipients will carry Milan’s legacy, embodying the values of service, generosity and compassion. “I hope our fellowship will make a student say, ‘Okay, now I can attend the Rady School,’” said Milan. “But also, when that person graduates and goes off and does whatever they do, they remember the opportunity they were given and remember to give back.”
Retirement and Beyond
As Milan embarks on retirement, his impact will continue to resonate on campus and beyond. His story serves as a powerful reminder that one individual can transform a community. While he may no longer walk the halls of Rady, his spirit of service and generosity will forever be woven into the school’s fabric.
“My father asked me the other day what I’ll miss most about Rady,” said Milan. “I'll miss seeing all the happy faces on graduation day. Sometimes I’d be standing in the courtyard and some random parent would come up to me and say, ‘You're the guy my son or daughter has been talking about for two years!’ - that always put a big smile on my face.”
The Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship will light the way for future generations of Rady students, reminding us that our actions can create ripples of positive change.
If you would like to make a gift to the Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship in honor of Erwin’s retirement, you can do so by clicking here. Expanding the impact of donations, gifts of $10,000 or more to the Alicia and Erwin Milan Family Fellowship will be matched on a 1:2 basis by Chancellor Khosla as part of the Chancellor’s Rady Fellowship Challenge. Please contact Henry Geng, Senior Director of Development (hgeng@ucsd.edu) to learn more.
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